Version 0.8 - New Archetype, Core Changes, New Look

"Engine" changes

3d8 has replaced 3d6 as the core mechanic for all skill checks and for character creation. This softens the probability bell curve, and allows for a great variety of outcomes at the table. This has also changed the chance to crit from 6.94% to 4.10%. (For reference, DnD chance to crit is 5%). This change aims to make crits feel more familiar in pace to those who are used to DnD. Since crit chance is also tied to character progression, adjusting this value to be lower will stretch progression out over the course of the campaign, and prevent characters from improving too quickly. 

Players moving from version 0.4 to version 0.8 need to entirely rebuild their characters because of this change. 

Citizenship now provides the opportunity to improve a base attribute along with improving skills. 

Skill and Trick Rework

Tricks has been assigned to "trees" corresponding to each skill. Players still learn tricks in order to improve their skills over time, but there are more in each skill to choose from. Some archetype-only tricks have been reassigned as general tricks available to all, and some have become new archetypal abilities (discussed below.) New tricks have been create to take their places in some cases.

The Appraise skill have been replaced by a new Barter skill, and Appraise has become a trick within this skill. 

Misdirection has become a Trick available from both the Deft Fingers and Performance skills trees, and requires both skills to perform. 

Combat skills have been expanded with the new trees. Most weapons can now be used under more than one skill. Each skills provides different tricks, emphasizing a different fighting style. For example, pistols can now be used by those with aim or with dueling. The Aim tree provides things like lining up shots for more damage, while the Dueling tree gives faster paced bonuses, like quickdraw. 

A crafting system has been added to complement the crafting skill. Recipes for Bioscientist and Engineer craftables have changed to reflect this. 

Archetype Changes

Archetypes now have more than one archetypal ability. There is still a single core, unique mechanic to each archetype, but it now supported by two additional archetypal abilities. Most of these were Tricks that felt so fundamental to the archetypes that they shouldn't be optional. 

Archetypes currently have a reduced skill list compared to the last version (most have just 3 right now) due to the massive updates to Tricks in this current version. This will addressed in later versions, with a goal of 5 skills per archetype

NEW ARCHETYPE: Cardsharp

The Cardsharp is now available for play testing. This is a gambling class that gambles with the mechanics of the game itself. Cardsharps can choose to save critical successes in the form of points of Gambler's Luck. They can then spend these points as modifier points to ensure a positive outcome for rolls that might otherwise under perform. They can also re-roll failed rolls at any time- but must accept that any failure is a critical failure if they do so.

Cardsharp is a Social skill dominant, Mind skill prominent archetype of a performative, cheating but charming scoundrel.

Item Changes

Weapons and armor now have features. These are specific, unique traits that make them tactical choices from one another. For example, the crossbow has pin, an option to pin its target against a surface behind them on a critical instead of doing any damage. 

Money and Item rules have received some smaller updates to streamline game play and shopping. 

Combat Updates

Attacks can now only crit on the damage roll, after a successful attack has been made.This means weapons with less overall damage can crit more often. The ability to crit on the attack roll itself and therefore bypass the Defender's reaction is now a Trick for the Dueling skill.

Ship to Ship combat has been completely overhauled to be faster and more engaging. Players now must man different stations that correspond to different actions a ship can take on its turn. Each station can perform one action according to its type on the ship's turn. This also means a well staffed ship, such as a navy vessel, will have a significant advantage over a pirate ship run by just a few people who may not be able to cover every position.

Smaller Updates

Most art has now been replaced by royalty free art courtesy of Pixabay, or art that was commissioned for Heliosail specifically.

A section introducing new players to the genre of table top RPGs has been added to the front of the book, and a glossary has been started at the back. Both of these will receive further updates in the future. 

Numerous spelling fixes.

Small lore change: The time scale of the game, previously billions of years in the future, has been changed. It is still left purposefully vague, but has been adjusted to the scale of thousands of years in the future instead. The universe's state of deterioration is adequately explained by the collision with the other universe. 

Fonts have been changed as I refine the visual style of the game. The new font choices are all historical fonts from turn of the 20th century (or modern fonts that are extremely close in style.) I chose a combination of serif and sans serif fonts to communicate bot the art nouveau elements and the futuristic elements of the game's design.